“A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.”
— George R.R. Martin
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Posts Tagged ‘writing’
Staying Sharp
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, creativity, reading, Thoughts, writing on November 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Still Progress
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, drabble, Fiction, Writers, writing on November 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I wrote a drabble yesterday but decided not to share it. Why not? Because it’s dark and it’s sad. I like to keep things largely upbeat here, for my readers and for myself.
That doesn’t mean I’m all unicorns and rainbows, obviously, but I want you to come away from this site feeling at least a little hopeful. I try to focus on the future, and I hope that it’s a good one.
Sometimes that means facing down darkness, and I’ve done that before even in a 100-word format. Not this time, though, so I’ll keep it in my files for now.
Still, progress is progress, and I’m happy to be writing!
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Let’s Go With Always
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, think positive, Thoughts, Writers, writing on November 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“It was never the right time or it was always the right time, depending on how you looked at it.”
— Ann Patchett, Bel Canto
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Writing Time
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on November 8, 2025| 1 Comment »
“The right time is any time that one is still so lucky as to have.”
— Henry James
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Really, I Just Like Saying “Loot”
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #DontTryThisAtHome, Writers, writing on November 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »
When I hear a story like “crown jewels stolen in brazen theft,” my first thought tends to be “Now what?” (Ok, my first thought was, wait, France still has crown jewels? And then the other thing.)
I have zero interest in actual theft, but you never know when this sort of information might come in handy for fiction. That’s where experts come in. Here’s a law professor and specialist in art crimes on that very subject.
You’ve just stolen a priceless artifact – what happens next?
The high-profile heist at the Louvre in Paris on Oct 19, 2025, played out like a scene from a Hollywood movie: a gang of thieves steal an assortment of dazzling royal jewels on display at one of the world’s most famous museums.
But with the authorities hot in pursuit, the robbers still have more work to do: How can they capitalize on their haul?
And here’s another professor on what might happen to this particular loot.
What will happen to the Louvre jewellery after the heist? There are two likely scenarios
The stolen jewellery includes well-known pieces that are easily recognisable. This will make it difficult, if not impossible, to sell them on the black market, even to well-heeled collectors and buyers.
(Oh, and given post-heist updates, I’d probably add “Don’t drop the loot and / or leave DNA behind” to this list of handy suggestions.)
Perhaps this will help you think about a (fictional!) story.
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Beautiful Things
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, free fiction, short stories, Writers, writing on November 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Today, a story by the excellent Arthur H. Manners. Dark, yes, but with a beautiful thread of hope.
Woodsong – Flash Fiction Online
It hit me last night, as a chorus of woodsong filled our hiding spot: we’re never getting out of here.
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Graveyard Poem
Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, death is inevitable but so is beauty, haiku, writing on October 31, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Live this moment
Feel this day this sun this breath
I loved those things too.
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Me, Thinking
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, haiku, just thinking, poem, Thoughts, Writers, writing on October 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Sometimes a story seed comes to me, and while it doesn’t always grow into a full-fledged story, it’s often expressed in the form of its own small poem. Like this.
Can We Make a Deal?
My alien mind
In this animal body
Which wins, in the end?
And since today is National Cat Day in the US, let’s make that animal a kitty.
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A Creativity Hack
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on October 27, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Looking for an unexpected way to find interesting and creative story ideas? Creativity expert Keith Sawyer has a suggestion.
The Creativity Hack No One Told You About: Read the Obits
Here’s how you can use the obituaries to enhance your creative cognition.
First, start by reading them slowly, without searching for a big idea. Let the details wash over you — the places lived, the professions practiced, the odd hobbies pursued. Notice what sticks.
It’s not just about learning new facts, of course — it’s about asking questions.
There’s more to this idea than just skimming the paper. Want to know more about how to enhance your creative cognition? This article can help.
“…research shows that distant analogies often lead to creative breakthroughs, often in unexpected ways. What you’re doing is filling up your brain with a range of very different cognitive material.”
As you read the obits (or watch TV, or stroll through the neighborhood, there are lots of options), start by asking questions. Get a sense of the who, what and where, then look for the why and see where it leads.
To your next story, I hope!
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Writers Learn the Darnedest Things
Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #BakingSortOf, random facts, Writers, writing on October 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Powdered sugar is a kitchen staple.
For whatever supply chain reason, we went through a powdered sugar shortage up here a while back, grocery store shelves with sad empty spots where this baking essential should be. That led me to wonder who uses it, and for what.
Need to make icing for that birthday cake? Or a batch of shortbread? Or dust the top of your chocolate cake or French toast or Beaver Tails or Swedish pancakes? You’ll probably need powdered sugar.
Some readers may know this already, but powdered sugar is also a key ingredient in a product that you probably want to keep far away from your kitchen: grenades.
To make grenades, the Army needs 30 tons of powdered sugar
It turns out that sweet powdery sugar, the same you might put on funnel cake at a state fair, is a major ingredient to make things go boom, or at least hiss and spray smoke.
…
Though powder sugar’s use in industrial weapons making isn’t an obvious leap of logic, the chemistry is fairly simple… Explosives need an oxidizer, ignition source and fuel, and sugar is an excellent fuel.
And that is another interesting fact for your “writers learn the darnedest things” file.
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